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“There is an urgent need to rebuild a bipartisan — indeed non-political — consensus for American diplomatic, economic, and military leadership in the world,” Lieberman said in a statement.

Lieberman will be joined in the effort by former Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), who also retired from the Senate in January.

Lieberman was a longtime moderate Democrat until 2006, when he lost his Senate primary to businessman Ned Lamont — driven largely by liberal dissatisfaction with Lieberman’s positions on foreign policy and the Iraq War. He ran as an independent in the 2006 general election and was handily reelected to the Senate.

Since being booted from the party in 2006, Lieberman has caucused with the Democrats in the Senate as an independent. However, he’s broken with his party over foreign policy and national security issues a number of times.

Lieberman declined to back President Barack Obama in 2008, throwing his support behind Arizona Sen. John McCain’s presidential bid. He spoke that year at the Republican National Convention.